An appraisal of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) practices in Small and Medium (SMEs) enterprises in Chegutu, Zimbabwe.

Abstract

Although a Corporate Social Responsibility(CSR)knowledge base exists among Zimbabwean SMEs, there hasbeen no comprehensive studies which have been conducted. In Zimbabwe the drive for CSR cannot be complete without the active engagement of Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs) yet CSRpractices by SMEs in some parts of Zimbabwe, in particular, Chegutu, are currently unknown. It is against this background that this study investigated corporate social responsibility practices among SMEs in Chegutu. The study sought to gain an understanding of the meaning and impact attached to CSR by SMEs and also examine legal, economic and ethical barriers to CSR.Data used in this study was collected through 220 questionnaires and six semistructured and open-ended interviews administered on owner-managers of SMEs. The systematic random sampling method was used to select respondents for quantitative research while the purposive method was used to select respondents for qualitative research. SPSS version 20.0 was adopted to analyze quantitative data while the reduction method was adopted for qualitative data. Findings reveal that there is no clear understanding and standard meaning for CSR. SMEs consider corporate social responsibility as having no quantifiable benefits. Legal, economic and ethical factors motivate SMEsto engage in CSR.The study results point at weak legislation and managerial attitudes as major barriers to CSR practices